Sweet Spira Dreams
by Wasa Chu
Summary: What would happen if yours truly ended up in the world of Spira? A touch of humor, and a lot of havoc, that's what. :D *3rd chapter up!*
1. Crouching Tidus, Hidden Katie

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Authors Note: Heyo! I'm redoing this story because I'm not happy with its current state. :7 There won't be any humongous changes, so no worries there. I apologize for not updating it for so long and then deciding to redo it, but this shouldn't take too long. ^^; Hopefully the story will turn out better than before. Lemme know what you guys think! :D Thanks!

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Tidus leaned back against the trunk of a towering tree and yawned. The group had been moving along briskly for hours, not stopping to rest at all until just now, even when Tidus had begun to moan and groan.

In fact, it seemed that the more he had argued and griped, the faster Auron had made the group travel.

"Annoying old man," Tidus grumbled to himself.

Auron shot him a quick glance but didn't reply. Ignoring the evil look and resting the back of his head against his hands, Tidus began to daydream.

_I wonder if I'll ever get back…to Zanarkand…_

"Get up," a gruff voice boomed. "Don't just sit around and nap, go find some firewood so Kimahri can cook dinner."

"Ya! I'm hungry," Wakka joined in. "I'll help you look for firewood Tidus."

"I would," Tidus retorted, opening one blue eye to stare at the tall, red-cloaked guardian towering in front of him. "But I'm just too tired from that 60,000 mile race you had us run."

Auron shook his head. "Pathetic…"

Tidus' face turned as red as a stop sign, but just as he opened his mouth to argue with Auron, Wakka interrupted.

"Hey Tidus! Bet I can find more firewood than you, ya?" Wakka taunted.

Auron's remark forgotten, Tidus' face began to revert back to it's normal tan color.

"I, uh, you're on, Wakka!" Tidus announced loudly as he rushed into the woods to get a head start.

He thought he might have heard Auron chuckle at him as he disappeared into the forest, but he didn't care.

"I didn't see _him_ doing anything useful! What's his problem anyway?" Tidus angrily thought out loud as he fought his way through the clinging masses of branches and shrubs.

Suddenly, his face drained itself of all color as he recalled something Auron had said.

_Kimahri's cooking? Whaaa?! I can't believe it! Where did that walking blue rug learn to cook?_

Just then Tidus caught his foot on a strategically placed log and, with his arms waving wildly in the air, sprawled face-first into a small clearing.  
Shaking the dirt from his blonde tresses, Tidus quickly sat up and blinked in amazement.

"Whoa…Score!" he cheered.

The clearing Tidus had tumbled into was by no means any ordinary clearing. Small branches, dried leaves, and peeled birch bark littered the forest floor just waiting for someone like Tidus to come along and pick them up.

Becoming paranoid, Tidus narrowed his eyes and peered around, searching for any sign of his opponent, Wakka. Once satisfied that Wakka was nowhere nearby, he lunged for the nearest piece of firewood and giggled madly to himself.

"They won't think I'm so lazy when I bring this stuff back by the ton! Heh, Auron - "

A rustling coming from a nearby clump of bushes caused Tidus to freeze.

"Wakka…Is that you?" Tidus whispered softly as he crept towards the bushes.

Suddenly, a small object flew from the clump of bushes and whacked Tidus right between the eyes.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, hunching over in pain.

"Ack! I'm sorry!" cried a feminine voice that Tidus didn't recognize. "I didn't mean to - "

Tidus pointed his sword at the petite brunette standing in front of him with a look of concern on her face and more rocks clenched in her fist. Only, he wasn't holding his sword. Instead he had a firm grip on a long thin branch he had found moments before. 

The girl raised her hands above her head and stuttered, "I - I come in peace!"

Noticing that she had no visible weapons other than the small rocks she carried, Tidus lowered his "sword." "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Eh heh, my name's Katie and I'm lost," the girl gave a friendly but nervous smile.

"Lost? And what are you doing with no weapons? You could be attacked by fiends!" Tidus gestured wildly at the surrounding woods.

"Fiends?" Katie pronounced the word as if it were foreign to her.

"…Never mind. I don't have time to explain. We should be heading back to my camp soon," Tidus sighed. "It's getting dark pretty fast."

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After collecting armfuls of firewood, the two began to make their way back towards Tidus' camp.

"So…" Katie began. "Are you ever going to introduce yourself?"

"Oh! I completely forgot!" Tidus apologized. "I'm Tidus, guardian of the Summoner Yuna."

"Nice to meet you Tidus," Katie replied politely. "But, uh, what's a guardian? And while we're at it, what the heck is a summoner?"

"Whoa, you must have gotten too close to Sin or something. You don't remember anything?" asked Tidus, moving a step or two away from the "contaminated" girl.

"Sin?" Katie was beginning to feel really left out right about now.

"Never mind again."

"Ok," Katie shrugged. "So are you traveling with anyone else Tidus?"

"Well, I already mentioned Yuna. She's the daughter of the High Summoner Braska." Tidus watched Katie's face for any trace of recognition, but she quite clearly did not understand.

"Oh, I see," she murmured.

"Then there's Rikku. She's Al Bhed and always happy. It scares me," Tidus stated bluntly. "And there's Lulu, who's always PMSing, Kimahri the might-as-well-be mute fuzz ball, Auron the hot shot who thinks he's _so_ great, and Wakka the blitzball team captain with the goofiest hair you've ever seen. He looks like a rooster or something." 

Katie was silent for a moment, then she asked, "You're all Yuna's guardians?"

"That's right! Now you've got it! And, of course, I'm the best out of all of them!" Tidus boasted.

"Oh really," Katie said slyly.

"Uh huh, I'm pretty handy with a sword."

"If by a sword you mean a large tree branch, sure," Katie laughed.

"Uh no. No, you - you jut caught me off guard, that's all!" Tidus stammered, his face turning a crimson hue for the second time that day.

"And what about you tumbling head-over-heels into that clearing?" Katie nudged Tidus' shoulder. "Hmm?" 

"I…tripped over a log! Yeah, a log! Because there are a lot more logs in these woods than in most others. Sneaky logs! Why I oughta - "

"Riiight," Katie rolled her eyes. She thought she noticed Tidus' face getting red yet again, but he said nothing more as they walked on.


	2. Keep Walking

Sweet Spira Dreams Ch. 2 - Keep Walking  
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Author's Note [Again!]: Aiee, sorry about this chapter. It was really hard to write since not much happens, but I tried my best. ^_^; Also, I do not claim ownership of FFX or any characters, names, etc. :D;  
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A few hours later, Katie found herself still trudging along behind Tidus.  
  
"This is getting us nowhere," Katie thought. "I swear we've been going in circles the whole time."  
  
Suddenly Tidus gave a shout. Katie looked fervently from side to side, hoping to see Tidus' camp. Instead she saw the same trees and the same shrubs.  
  
"What is it?" Katie asked, clearly frustrated.   
  
"I thought I heard voices up ahead," Tidus replied excitedly. "So keep quiet!"  
  
Katie reluctantly shut her mouth and listened. "This better be good," she thought.   
  
As she listened, Katie thought she heard the faint mumbling of voices up ahead.  
  
"I hear -- !" Katie was quickly cut off by Tidus, who clamped a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Quiet!" he whispered urgently. "I'm trying to listen!"  
  
Fuming, Katie shoved Tidus away. "Listen you!" she roared. "I can hear somebody over there," Katie pointed. "And I can hear them quite CLEARLY, too."  
  
Tidus' face went blank. "You - you can? But how?!" he whined.  
  
Katie smacked her forehead. "Obviously you haven't cleaned out your ears recently."  
  
With that, Katie picked up some of the bark and logs that she had dropped and marched off in the direction of the voices. She wasn't going to spend anymore time than she had to walking around.  
  
"My feet hurt," Katie mumbled.  
  
"So do mine," Tidus mumbled back. "You know, you should be careful. You don't know if it's my camp or not."  
  
Katie gave Tidus an astonished look. "Why, that's the first intelligent thing you've said since I met you! I'm starting to think that maybe you really do care!"  
  
Tidus suddenly tripped over thing air, almost losing all of his firewood again. Smirking, Katie stood by as Tidus collected the firewood and his wits yet again.  
  
"Ok, let's get going. There's only one way to find out if the voices come from friends...or foes," Tidus said ominously. He glanced at Katie, then threw his hands in the air and yelled, "Dun dun dun!!!"  
  
"Oh. My. Gosh!!!" Katie laughed. "You're such a dork!"  
  
"Eh..." Tidus said while rubbing the back of his head.  
  
"And I'm sure it comes naturally, doesn't it?" Katie said with a sly look.  
  
Tidus winced. "You're so mean!"  
  
Katie stopped dead in her tracks. "I am not mean! You take that back right now!"  
  
"Well, you kinda are," Tidus said carefully. "But -- "  
  
"Argh! Just start walking please!" Katie growled as she pushed Tidus ahead of her.  
  
"Okay!" Tidus squeaked.  
  
So they made their way towards the voices; Tidus leading and constantly keeping an eye out and Katie following, mumbling and grumbling.  
  
Turning around, Tidus put a finger over his mouth and whispered, "Keep quiet!" He then crouched behind a large rasberry bush and peered through the leaves.  
  
Katie leaned over and looked over Tidus' shoulder. "Well?"  
  
"Ouch!" Tidus gasped. "I got pricked!"  
  
Katie rolled her eyes. "What do you see?"  
  
All of a sudden, Tidus leapt into the air and dashed into the camp, causing Katie to topple over backwards.  
  
"I'm back everyone!" Tidus yelped. "And look! I brought a friend with me!"  
  
Whispers trickled through the camp while Tidus stood there proudly, hands on his hips.  
  
"I always knew he was crazy," Rikku muttered.  
  
"And where is this...friend... of yours?" Lulu questioned.  
  
"Maybe it's an imaginary friend!" Wakka exclaimed.  
  
Tidus looked around him confusedly. "But...she was here just a minute ago, I swear! Katie? Katie!"  
  
Auron "hmmpfed", and Tidus shot him a dirty look. "I know she's here, and she's NOT imaginary Wakka."  
  
"Does Tidus have a giiirrrllll - friend?" Rikku giggled.   
  
Tidus turned beet red. "No, it's not like that!" he stammered.  
  
"I am not..." Katie huffed. "Tidus' girlfriend."  
  
"There you are! See? See!? She's NOT imaginary!" Tidus exclaimed. "Ha!" He pointed at the rest of the campers. "I'm right for once, and you're wrong! Booya!"  
  
Katie just stared, Lulu gave him the evil eye, Wakka scratched his head, Auron just chuckled, Rikku crossed her arms, and Kimahri just sat there, stirring the contents of a large boiling pot that was hanging over the fire.  
  
Tidus stopped his victory dance and looked around. "H - Hello?"  
  
Katie sniffed and carried her bark over to the fire. "Here. I brought you guys some firewood!"  
  
"Thank you Katie!" Rikku grabbed her arm. "I feel so sorry for you, having to walk around for five ours with Tidus. Anyways, my name's Rikku, and you can come help me n Kimahri make dinner!"  
  
"Uhh okay!" Katie agreed as she was dragged towards the large, furry, blue thing sitting by the fire. 


	3. Bon Apetit! Lean Cuisine

Bon Apetit! / Lean Cuisine  
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Author's note: Err, another badly written chappie, gomen. -_-; The next one will be better, I promise. An additional note is provided at the end of the chapter for those of you who don't understand Japanese. ^^; And Sara, does the rice incident sound familiar to you at all? XD   
As always, I do not claim ownership to FFX or any of it's characters, names, etc. ^_^;   
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As Katie sat down on a stump by the fire, Rikku began dashed off to take care of some business of her own. Shifting uneasily, Katie decided to ask what she could do to help.  
  
"Kimahri cook. Katie watch fire," the large blue beast rumbled.  
  
"Eh, ok!" Katie squeaked and began to watch the fire intently.  
  
A few minutes later, a pleasant aroma drifted through the campsite and Kimahri lifted the large pot out of the flames and set it off to the side. Rikku tossed a bucket of water from the nearby lake onto the red-hot flames, and the fire sizzled as it died down.  
  
Seeing as everyone else was sitting down in a circle by the tents, Katie took that as a cute for her to do the same. She plopped herself down by Rikku and folded her legs in front of her.  
  
"So, what's for dinner?" she inquired.  
  
"Chicken and rice," Rikku replied. "My favorite out of the whole three different meal plans we're offered here!"  
  
Katie chuckled, then quieted down as Yuna began to recite the dinnertime prayer.  
  
Thinking to herself, Katie began wondering just how she had gotten here. I can't even remember what I was doing before I got here. It seems like I've lost my short term memory...  
  
Katie's thoughts were cut off by Wakka announcing boisterously that everyone could dig in.  
  
"Let's eat, ya!"   
  
With that, everyone excluding Auron, Lulu, and Yuna, who had a bit more manners than the rest, dug into their food ferociously.   
  
Eyeing the food hungrily, Katie grabbed her eating utensil and stabbed at it impatiently.  
  
"Waiiii?!" she howled. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Katie as she held her chopsticks in front of her at eye level, staring at them like she had never seen such a thing before.  
  
"Chopsticks? But, but!" Katie stammered. "The rice doesn't stick!" She moaned as she unsuccessfully tried to scoop up some rice with the cylindrical pieces of wood.  
  
Rikku giggled. "Here silly! Go like this!" Rikku demonstrated how to get the rice to stick together by mushing it on the side of the bowl. Katie watched curiously, intent on being able to eat her food with something other than her hands.  
  
"Oh! Sou ka!* Thanks Rikku!" Katie exclaimed as she began to stuff gobs of rice and chicken into her mouth, one after another.  
  
"Mmm! Thif if gooth!" Tidus complimented through a mouthful of food. His cheeks made him look like a squirrel who had stuffed too many nuts into its mouth.  
  
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Lulu chastised. "It isn't polite, especially since we have a guest present."  
  
Not wanting the conversation to turn hostile, and knowing full well that Tidus' temper was hard to keep under control, Katie took the role of peacemaker as fast as she could. Perhaps a even a little too fast...  
  
"Oh, thath quithe awight, Woo Woo," Katie said with her mouth full.  
  
Lulu turned and looked at her, surprised. Katie smiled as best she could, and waved meekly with a free hand. Lulu blinked, then returned to picking at her food.  
  
"Aaah!" Wakka sighed, breaking the silence. "Tidus, you're ready for seconds, ya?"  
  
"Oh yeh!" Tidus waved his arms in the air wildly. "When am I not?!"  
  
"Pigs..." Lulu whispered, which caused Rikku and Katie to erupt into a fit of stifled giggles.  
  
A bit confused as to why the two girls were laughing, Wakka looked around at the rest of the group. "Anyone else? Auron?"  
  
"No thank you," Auron replied. "I've had quite enough already."  
  
"Oh ok," said Wakka as he shrugged and trotted off with his and Tidus' bowls.  
  
"So," Yuna began after wiping her hands off on a small cloth. "Your name is Katie, right? I'm Yuna."  
  
"But you can call her Yunie!" Rikku interrupted and Yuna gave her a small smile.  
  
"Uh huh! Tidus told me about you and everyone else," Katie said.  
  
"Oh, and what did he say?" Yuna questioned, her eyes twinkling.  
  
Tidus paled a bit, and Katie blinked. Lulu shifted a bit, trying to get a bit closer to the conversation.  
  
"Well..." she started. "He said that you were High Summoner Braska's daughter, and he didn't say much else about the rest of you."  
  
"Of course he didn't!" Wakka chuckled. "Everyone knows that Tidus has a crush on Miss Yuna here, ya!"  
  
Tidus' face went beet red for about the third time that day, while Yuna's turned a light shade of pink.  
  
"Ohhh!" Katie exclaimed. "I see how it is!" She winked at Tidus, who, believe it or not, turned even more red.  
  
"So what's this Summoner business? Can you summon demons or something?" Katie asked. She really hoped that Yuna wasn't a demon summoner. The thought of someone doing that just gave her the creeps.  
  
"Oh no! Of course not! Demons do bad, while aeons do good."  
  
"Aeons?" Katie said the word carefully, wondering how the heck you would spell that.  
  
"Yes. Aeons. They help us fight Sin." Yuna shuddered, and Lulu put an arm around her.  
  
"Sin?" Katie knew about sin. Sin was bad, she had learned that when she was very little.  
  
"Yes. We summoners must destroy Sin to bring the Calm."  
  
Katie fell silent. An ominous feeling surrounded the conversation at hand, and she felt that if she continued, she might learn more than she wanted to know.   
  
"...What village are you from?" Yuna asked, breaking the awkward silence. "It's odd that you don't know about Sin. Even Tidus kind of knew what it was."  
  
"Oh, uhmm," Katie scratched the back of her head nervously, trying to think of a reply. "I come from the United Staes." she grinned. "Well, more like another world...I think."   
  
Auron glanced up, then looked back down again just as quickly.  
  
"Just like Tidus," Yuna murmured. "He came from Zanarkand. Have you ever heard of it?"  
  
"Can't say I have," Katie answered. "We have Lithuania though, and Zimbabwe and Saudi Arabia and Lichtenstein and..." Katie trailed off. "I'm really lost, aren't I?"  
  
Yuna nodded her head slowly. "It seems so. But perhaps you will find a way to get...un-lost soon."  
  
"Poor Katie!" Rikku said sympathetically. "I'll help ya find your way home! You can always count on Rikku."  
  
"Thanks," Katie said gratefully. "But I'm not so sure how I'm going to manage to get there."  
  
"Well, until you do figure out a way, perhaps you should get some sleep?" Yuna suggested. "It's getting pretty late, and I'm sure Sir Auron would like to get an early start tomorrow."  
  
"Yeh," Katie stifled a yawn. "But where will I sleep?"  
  
"I know!" Rikku jumped up. "You can share a tent with me n' Yunie n' Lulu. I'm sure everyone has some blankets and pillows that they can spare."  
  
"That sounds like a great idea Rikku. I'll go show Katie where our tent is, and you can steal some blankets, ok?" Yuna said with a wink.  
  
Steal? Katie thought. Eh, whatever. I must be imagining things.  
  
Yuna led Katie to a large tent tucked in between two smaller ones. "Lulu, Rikku, and I will all share this tent with you. Kimahri and Auron are in the tent to the left, and Tidus and Wakka are in the tent to the right."  
  
"Ok," Katie crawled inside. "I hope it isn't too much trouble for me to stay here."  
  
"Nonsense," Yuna replied. "We couldn't just leave you out in the cold now, could we?"  
  
"I guess not."  
  
Rikku clambered into the tent, tugging a pile of blankets and a pillow in after her.  
  
"Here y'are Katie!"  
  
"Thanks!" Katie said gratefully as she began to arrange her blankets and pillow.  
  
Pretty soon everyone inside the tent was curled up under their blankets. A loud snoring sound could be heard from the tent on the right. Katie sighed and pulled her pillow over her ears.  
  
"Which one of them is it?" she asked. "I'll go over there and stuff my sock into his mouth!"  
  
Yuna giggled. "We're not sure. None of us wanted to get close enough to find out, for fear of being blown away."  
  
Katie laughed.   
  
"Nighty-night," yawned Rikku.  
  
"Pleasant dreams," Yuna said quietly.  
  
Silence answered from Lulu's corner, and Katie assumed that the strange woman was already asleep.  
  
"Sweet dreams you guys," she whispered. And with that, Katie was fast asleep.  
  
  
* Sou ka - "I see" in Japanese. :D 


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